Build
Introduction A build can be thought of as a combination between available spells for a certain element, equipment choices and distribution of characteristics. Done right, and sometimes with the right amount of investment and customization, all builds will become equally powerful, regardless of difficulty or proven popularity. Builds are often associated with elemental characteristics. Below is a brief rule-of-thumb: * Strength-based builds usually have spells that are potentially the most destructive, but their damage can be inconsistent. Weapons will outstrip the damage of spells in higher levels. Since most weapons deal Neutral Damage and Strength increases that damage, these builds can more easily deal greater damage at close range. Earth spells are often weaker or unreliable at long range. * Intelligence-based builds have higher Initiative and often start first in battle. Fire spells deal very consistent damage and almost always have good Range. Intelligence also boosts the effect of supportive spells that provide Healing. These builds can also equip healing weapons to function as healers. * Chance-based builds benefit from increased Prospecting and get the best Drops as a result. Water spells are varied, some have excellent range or damage, while others provide useful effects. As these builds are not very common, equipment that boost Chance are often cheaper. * Agility-based builds are the most mobile, with their improved ability to Dodge and Lock. Air spells have moderate damage and range. There are also many variants and hybrids of these builds. Other than those, unorthodox builds are possible for certain classes. These are still based on one of the four elements, but their focus are on different characteristics. Some common ones are as follows: * Damage-focused builds boost their power with "+Damage" equipment. These builds can deal consistent damage with multiple elements, but their dependence on good equipment can become very costly. * Critical Hit-focused builds depend on increasing Critical Hits. As the Critical Hit damage of some spells are exceptionally high, those spells become much more effective when Critical Hits occur regularly. These builds can potentially deal massive damage, but they are not always reliable. On the other hand, supportive spells can give greater buffs. As with Damage-focused builds, good equipment can be expensive. * Vitality-focused builds are great meat shields. Moreover, they are tougher to deal with in PvP battles. * Wisdom-focused builds gain levels much faster than others. However, they are also the most expensive to develop effectively. For details on builds and their variants, check the class pages. Achieving a specific build To achieve an optimal build, one must apply almost all characteristic points into one specific characteristic. In the case shown on the left, the character has chosen to put all of his points in Strength. Characters plan a particular build by saving Spell Points for specific spells. This allows the character to maximize a particular spell as soon as it is acquired. In the above example, a Sram/Strength build, the user is saving Spell Points for the Mass Trap spell, so that it can be upgraded to the maximum as soon as it is acquired at level 21. Characteristic Scrolls The concept of Characteristic Scrolls allows a character to raise one or all characteristics by 100, it is always advisable to scroll, though it should be noted that it is a time-consuming and expensive task. Developing a difficult build Some builds may be difficult to develop, because their main attack spells are only accessible at very high levels or only having one or two attack spells. Possible approaches are: * When starting out, it may be helpful to upgrade spells unrelated to your build. This is only temporary, you can reset your spells later on to transfer Spell Points to your main spells later. As you must not invest any characteristics for those unrelated spells, this method is only suitable for builds that are usable below level 30. * Using an easier build up to the wanted level, then Resetting Characteristics and Spells to reset either your characteristics, spells or both. Can be expensive if you have to replace your equipment. Not recommended for difficult builds that are usable at levels below 60. * Rely on alternative attack options. Such a solution differs for each elemental build: ** All builds can rely on weapons as their main attack. At high levels, not only will weapons deal more damage than spells, but they will also be widely available for all elements. For this reason, most alternative builds should learn a Weapon Skill. ** All builds can benefit from non-class Summoning spells. Spare spell points (from having a lack of relevant spells) can easily be used to turn these into a semi-effective ranged attack and/or useful meat shields. ** Strength-based builds can easily use a powerful weapon right from the start, as Neutral damage is associated with most weapons in the game. At higher levels, they can keep relying on weapons as their main attack. ** Intelligence-based builds have access to several additional Common spells. Lightning Strike is a cheap, Area-of-Effect spell that anyone can easily acquire since the beginning. Leek Pie is a very expensive, long-ranged spell that needs +damage equipment to be powerful. Cawwot is a healing spell that allows any Intelligence-based build to double as a healer, although it is hard to obtain. ** Chance-based builds suffer the most, since there are no additional spells and Water weapons are very limited until higher levels. The earliest weapons most players can get are Half Loaf (11), Damaged Farmer Scythe (17), Samuel J. Axe (22) and Arson Fire Staff (29). It is advisable to become or find a craftsman and create these uncommon weapons yourself. ** Agility-based builds also have few weapon options in the beginning, but gain access to the very powerful Moon Hammer in mid-levels. Early weapons include Robber Daggers (12), Bearman's Staff (20) and Ha Hammer (23). In short, the aforementioned developmental strategies are recommended for builds that become usable at the following levels: * Levels 1-30: Learn other spells first, unlearn spells later * Levels 31-60: Rely on weapons & non-class spells * Levels 61+: Develop easier build first, reset characteristics and spells later For leveling a difficult build, some players rely on "leeching", either through participating in dungeon groups, or through a more powerful friend or alternate account. Wikia Builds The Wikia has a wide range of guides on Builds in varying degrees of completion, for a complete list, see Category:Build. * *